PETS－2语法讲解(161)

　　She was impossible to please.
　　对话
　　First clerk: I've just had a terrible hour and a half.
　　Second clerk: Why, what happened?
　　First clerk: Well I had a lady customer come in who wanted to buy a pair of shoes. And you know we've got a really good range.
　　Second clerk: We certainly do. Did she buy a pair?
　　First clerk: No, but she didn't leave before getting me to bring her every single pair we had in the shop. And she complained about every single one.
　　Second clerk: I'd say she was impossible to please.
　　店员一：我刚才那一个半小时真是难过极了。
　　店员二：为什么？
　　店员一：有个女顾客走进来，要买一双鞋子。你知道啦，我们货色十分齐全。
　　店员二：没错。她有没有买？
　　店员一：没有，但她要我把店里每一双鞋子都拿给她试穿，然后才离去。每双鞋子她都不满意。
　　店员二：这人看来是什么都不满意的。
　　‘店员’英美叫法不同：英国叫shop assistant，美国则叫clerk。由于clerk也可指办公室职员，有时为免误会，可叫sales clerk，例如：The (sales) clerks at the department store are all very helpful（这家百货公司的售货员都很乐意为顾客服务）。但遇上麻烦的客人，不管多好的店员事后恐怕也会抱怨一声：I'd say he/she was impossible to please。留意I would say这说法。英文常用would字，使语气委婉一点。提出个人看法的句子，往往就用I would say/think为言，例如：(1) I would say she is over thirty（我想，她不止三十岁了）。(2) I'll finish this piece of work by seven o'clock, I would think（我想，我可以在七点钟以前做好这件工作）。
　　最后要谈She was impossible to please这句式。Easy（容易）、difficult/hard（困难）、good/nice/pleasant（好）、impossible（不可能）、ready（准备好）等形容词之后，英文常用‘to＋原形动词(infinitive)’，有被动含义，例如：(1) The job is easy/difficult to do（这工作很容易/很难做）。(2) This cake is nice/good to eat（这蛋糕很好吃）。(3) The coat is now ready to wear（外衣现在可以穿了）。这些句子的‘to＋原形动词’之前，可视为有一隐形的for somebody，例如The job is easy for you to do，所以不用被动语态to be done之类。She is impossible (for anyone) to please也是用这句式，等于It is impossible (for anyone) to please her。